Explorers had been landing in America for some time before English settlers arrived in what is now Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. But it was in that spot on the James River that English colonization began and with it, the history of America. James I was king of England at that time, and he had granted approval for a group of businesspeople to settle in this new land. They were part of the Virginia Company, and they got the go-ahead in 1606. By December of that year, the expedition was ready. Hearing stories from Spanish explorers and others, they hoped to find gold in the New World.
The terrible winter of 1609 convinced most of the settlers to abandon their new life, however. Only 60 of the 214 settlers survived this harsh winter, which was also hard on Powhatan's tribe and other neighboring Native Americans. (It is this Powhatan, also, whose daughter Pocahontas eventually married John Rolfe.)
Once the money started flowing in regularly, the Jamestown colony grew, as did other settlements in Virginia and in other states along the eastern seaboard.
The year 1619 also saw another significant development: the first arrival of black slaves on boats from Africa. The Virginia Colony–and Jamestown, in particular–were gripped by a particularly violent series of events in 1676, known as Bacon's Rebellion. A few hundred armed colonists rebelled against the governor, who was himself backed by a few hundred armed English troops. One of the causes of the insurrection was a disagreement over land policies regarding Native Americans. Deaths, of both Englishmen and Native Americans, numbered in the dozens. Jamestown was also the capital of Virginia and remained so until 1698. |
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Social Studies for Kids
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David White